http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/index.php Gothic Lolita photos, Japanese designer information, Gothic & Lolita Bible news and articles. en http://backend.userland.com/rss092 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:19:47 +0000 gothiccarmina@gmail.com gothiccarmina@gmail.com 1538366http://www.feedburner.com
† Name/URL: Kagetsuki
† Age: 20++
† Location: Singapore.
† How were you introduced to Gothic Lolita fashion?
In 2000, while I came across a copy of GLB with a couple of my friends.
† What do you find appealing about GL style and culture?
The decadence, the fabrics, the lace and how a fashion niche requires rule to adhere to.
† What are your favorite GL clothing brands?
Moi même moitié, Mary Magdalene, Victorian Maiden. I occasionally like stuff from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright and Angelic Pretty too.
† Any other comments?
If you really love something you'd persist. Regardless of what people say, your environment or how difficult it may seem sometimes.

If you would like to be the next Gothloli of the Week, please read the submission instructions here. ]]> http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/241/GOTHLOLI-OF-THE-WEEK-32-KAGETSUKI Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:42:25 +0000 Gothloli of the Week http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/241/GOTHLOLI-OF-THE-WEEK-32-KAGETSUKI#cmt
Let's take a quick break from the rocking horse shoes... to talk about sneakers! I haven't been able to unstick my eyes from the blog Merry Daily, run by the Harajuku shoe store Tokyo Bopper. It's a daily roundup of the store's staff outfits - and boy, are they a visual feast. I especially love the Photoshopped backgrounds that make the colors and motifs pop out.

According to the site, Tokyo Bopper quietly opened in the sweltering summer of 1994. A recent earthquake and poison gas attack cast a dark mood over Harajuku, but the vibrant shoe store helped bring back the sunshine.

The shop carries its own footwear brands, Belly Button and Unbilical. The giant laces and neon colors have gotten raves from the electro crowd. Definitely check out more outfits on the Tokyo Bopper blog; the staff welcomes you to stop by if you're in Harajuku! ]]> http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/240/TOKYO-BOPPER-ELECTRO-NEW-RAVE-SNEAKERS-FROM-HARAJUKU-SHOE-STORE Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:38:33 +0000 Tokyo Gothic Lolita http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/240/TOKYO-BOPPER-ELECTRO-NEW-RAVE-SNEAKERS-FROM-HARAJUKU-SHOE-STORE#cmt
I've been a fan of Flickr ever since it debuted. For me, the photo-sharing site is an Alice in Wonderland looking-glass into underground cultures, pop culture oddities, strange and enthralling style, you name it.

My Wonderland meanderings led me to a set of Tokyo street snaps by Cherry Vega, a photographic artist based in my hometown (Vancouver, Canada). She kindly gave me permission to share them with you.

Cherry travelled to Tokyo in 2004 and captured the style spectacle on Jingubashi Bridge in Harajuku. The Gothic Lolita on the far right followed her around, pointed at her corset, and often shouted "KAWAII!" and "SEXY!". Only in Japan...

The Sweet Lolita holding the umbrella is so cute - I love the roses in her hair - and her friend looks like a living doll!

The girl (or boy? ) on the left is cosplaying as Kyo of Visual Kei band Dir En Grey. Cherry really captures the playful atmosphere; I love the poses on the far right.

As you'll recall, Kera Magazine's street snaps photographers were roving around last week's 2008 Anime Expo (AX) in Los Angeles. Nine pages of photos were posted today on MaruiOne's LiveJ.

Lots of Lolitas and J-rock fashion, as expected. Above are what I consider to be some of the most striking looks from the bunch. I love the subtlety of the male look on the left; every item is unusual, yet the effect is classic and greys match perfectly. The steampunk Lolita on the far right strikes a nice balance between the two aesthetics. As for the middle outfits - I wouldn't wear them, but props to their individuality and sense of whimsy! Whether it works or not, they own up to what they've put on.

You can see the rest of the Kera Snaps on MaruiOne's LiveJ. There are some gorgeous Lolita dresses and hats. Which ones are your favorites? Are you up there? ]]> http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/238/KERA-MAGAZINE-JROCK-AND-LOLITA-SNAPS-POSTED-FROM-2008-AX-ANIME-EXPO-IN-LA Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:35:21 +0000 Fashion http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/238/KERA-MAGAZINE-JROCK-AND-LOLITA-SNAPS-POSTED-FROM-2008-AX-ANIME-EXPO-IN-LA#cmt
My friend Dakota Lane, author of the soon-to-be-released thriller Gothic Lolita, shared some cute drawings of Harajuku girls and animal characters with me. My desktop background was getting stale, so I played around with her images on Photoshop and came up with the above wallpaper. Kawaii, desu ka?

I thought I'd continue the chain and share this Goth Loli backdrop with you! You can download the wallpaper in three sizes: 800x600, 1024x768, and 1600x1200. Just right-click and select "Set as Background", or save the image and Browse for it in Control Panel/Display.

Dakota Lane's Gothic Lolita will be published in November - for more info, check out my interview with the author. Also look out for her book The Orpheus Obsession, which was re-released last month on HarperTeen. ]]> http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/237/GOTHIC-LOLITA-WALLPAPER-BACKGROUND-WITH-CUTE-JAPANESE-CHARACTERS Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:36:33 +0000 Art + Design http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/237/GOTHIC-LOLITA-WALLPAPER-BACKGROUND-WITH-CUTE-JAPANESE-CHARACTERS#cmt
Count D, my late cheeseball taste tester, bestowed upon me a $40 spa gift card that he found while cleaning his bedroom. (Yes, I have an odd life.) Now, I’m not a spa type; Goth aesthetics and spa esthetics don’t exactly mesh. In all my years, I’ve never gotten my nails done – unless you count a few neon paintjobs from LA’s Beauty Bar and NYC’s now-defunct Spirit. In fact, I’d almost rather have my fingernails ripped off than mince around with a dainty French manicure.

But massages and facials were out of the question, since I hate when random people touch me. (Yes, I’m an odd person.) So I thought - why not use this opportunity to get some crazy nail art, like the Vampire of Rose photos I posted?

I left an enthusiastic voice message. The woman who returned my call chose her words carefully: “I’m sorry, but I must regretfully inform you that after having a conference with our resident artist, we’ve decided that our team will not be offering services in the direction of nail art…” (Seriously, she spoke as if Basil Farrow had been run over by a car.) Then her voice lifted: “How about a French manicure?” I held back my nausea and croaked out a “yes”.

But it was going to be on my terms. On the day of the appointment, ..]]> http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/236/REVERSE-FRENCH-MANICURE-GOTH-NAILS-WITH-BLACK-RED-NAILPOLISH-WHITE-TIPS Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:56:29 +0000 How Tos http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/236/REVERSE-FRENCH-MANICURE-GOTH-NAILS-WITH-BLACK-RED-NAILPOLISH-WHITE-TIPS#cmt
Here's part two of my recent escapades in Cooking Cute. I turned my macaroni and cheese into a mouse with a 1980s retro twist. Shutter shades... Pacmen... and more attitude than the Fresh Prince of Bel Air!

Ingredients: 2 cups dry macaroni pasta, 2 cups skim milk, 2 tbs flour, 2 tbs olive oil, 1 cup grated cheddar, 1/2 cup Swiss cheese, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, carrots, cucumber

In a large saucepan, boil 3.5 cups of water. Add macaroni and cook uncovered, stirring frequently until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat the flour and olive oil. Add the milk and mustard, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat. Add the grated cheese and stir until melted.

Toss the macaroni and sauce together in a large bowl. Fill a small, oiled bowl to the brim with the mixture and let sit. Reverse the bowl onto a plate and remove it to form a mound.

Cut out sunglasses and a nose/mouth circle from 1/4 inch slices of Swiss cheese. Cut out a nose from cucumber skin, and add expression with rosemary. Insert cucumber slices for the ears. Cut wedges out of cucumber and carrot slices, and arrange the pieces on the plate.

Tsugino Kerori, the popular San-X frog character, changes colors depending on his mood. White means it’s a wonderful day; green equals grief. Our cheesecake Kerori is the latter… because he’s about to be stabbed with a fork and devoured!

Time for another edition of Cooking Cute with La Carmina! As you know, I love to Japan-ify Western foods by decorating them as kawaii characters. Today, we'll make hard-boiled cuties will put a smile on the grumpiest morning-face.

Ingredients: 6 eggs, food coloring, 6 teaspoons vinegar, a few sprigs of rosemary, mixed salad greens, small carrot

† HARD-BOILED EGGS: Place six eggs in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover the eggs by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately place in a bowl of cold water to chill.

† DYING THE EGGS: For each color, fill a small cup with 1/4 cup boiling water, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, and 20 drops of food coloring. Immerse one hard-boiled egg per cup to dye the shells. To color the egg whites, peel the boiled egg before placing it in the dye. Let sit for 30-60 minutes.

Peel three hard-boiled eggs and prop upright on bottlecaps.

1. MOUSTACHE MAN. With a sharp paring knife, cut a moustache and facial features from a few leaves of purple lettuce. Press the pieces onto the egg.

2. SLEEPY DUCK. Carefully poke a small hole in the peeled boiled egg and remove the yolk. Fill the hole with salsa or sauce, and re-insert the yolk so that it protrudes from the hole. Cut out eyes and nostrils from rosemary or dark salad greens.

3. NEWBORN CHICK. Immerse a peeled egg in yellow food dye. Crack a raw egg and save half of the shell. Place the yellow boiled egg in the shell. To make the eyes, cut out two circl ..]]> http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/234/COOKING-CUTE-HARD-BOILED-EGGS-WITH-CHARACTER-FACES-AND-EASTER-EGG-DYE Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:10:16 +0000 Cooking Cute http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/234/COOKING-CUTE-HARD-BOILED-EGGS-WITH-CHARACTER-FACES-AND-EASTER-EGG-DYE#cmt
The blonde highlights in my hair were veering into Ayumi Hamasaki territory, so I quickly printed out photos of EGL Mana and showed them to my long-time hairdresser. We went with a tweak rather than an overhaul: I kept the length and bangs, but softened the dyed chunks to a light brown.

Using elastic bands and bobby pins, my hairdresser styled my hair into two messy mounds. (The Cure meets Malice Mizer, perhaps? ) He twisted a few strands around a hair pin, added hairspray, and heated the pin for five seconds with a straightening iron. Unravel, backcomb, and presto: I had snake-like kinks.

Corset:Mason
Necklace: made out of Home Depot chain and Nightmare Before Christmas cell phone charms

Same hair, different look. I recently saw Ridley Scott's Legend and was enthralled by the scene where The Lord of Darkness (the delicious Tim Curry) seduces innocent Princess Lily (Mia Sara, best known for her role in Ferris Bueller). Lily dances with a Gothic figure and merges into it, swapping her Sweet Lolita-esque gown for dark purple lipstick and an avantgarde Dracula-collar dress. Tragically, Tom Cruise interferes and she reverts back to her old self. Her Goth pers ..]]> http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/233/NEW-GOTH-HAIRSTYLE-VICTORIAN-MAIDEN-DRESS-MALICE-MIZER-HAIR-AND-DYE Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:30:43 +0000 Fashion http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/233/NEW-GOTH-HAIRSTYLE-VICTORIAN-MAIDEN-DRESS-MALICE-MIZER-HAIR-AND-DYE#cmt
† Name/URL: Sara
† Age: 20
† Location: Canary Islands, Spain.
† How were you introduced to Gothic Lolita fashion?
I started reading manga/anime and I became very interested on Japan and his urban styles. I knew Malice Mizer and Mana and now I really love Lolita style.
† What do you find appealing about GL style and culture?
I love the perfect mixture of innocence, elegance, decadence and darkness.
† What are your favorite GL clothing brands?
I love h.NAOTO, Moi même moitié, Angelic Pretty, Metamorphose Temps de Fille... I'm interested on Goth and Japanese punk styles too. I like to mix all to have a personal lolita style. I absolutely love corsets too!
† Any other comments?
Find your own style and being happy dressing is the most important thing, in spite of the rest of people. ^^

If you would like to be the next Gothloli of the Week, please read the submission instructions here. ]]> http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/231/GOTHLOLI-OF-THE-WEEK-31-SARA Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:33:40 +0000 Gothloli of the Week http://www.carmenyuen.com/blog/post/index/231/GOTHLOLI-OF-THE-WEEK-31-SARA#cmt